Tuolumne County Sees Population Growth

Photo by: BJ Hansen

Sonora, CA — While California saw a net population loss for the second year in a row, Tuolumne County gained residents.

Only 24 of California’s 58 counties reported population growth over the past year, and Tuolumne County recorded the fourth-highest rate at 0.9-percent. The population in the county as of January 1 of 2021 was 54,791, and at the start of this year was up to 55,291. Also of note, the City of Sonora’s population grew (0.4-percent) from 5,121 to 5,144.

Neighboring Calaveras County reported a population decline (0.4-percent) from 45,250 last year to 45,049 this year. Angels Camp also lost population (0.5-percent) going from 3,641 to 3,623.

The State of California saw a population decline in each of the past two years, the first two times in the state’s recorded history. Over the past year, California lost 117,552 residents (0.3-percent decline) to bring the overall population to 39,185,605 on January 1st.

Fewer people are moving to California from other states. California officials also cite a declining birth rate and more deaths related to the pandemic as reasons for the overall state decrease.